The Narrow Way is a weekly column that appears in two local papers in Simpson County, Mississippi. Elder Thomas Ray Floyd is the author of all the articles.

Elder Floyd

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Hello and welcome to the Narrow Way blog! If you have any questions specific to the articles themselves, please contact Elder Floyd. For questions pertaining to the web site (layout, typographical errors, etc.) please contact Brother Wiscaver and we'll get back with you as soon as possible. Thanks!

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About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

We have for the past few weeks been defending the Authorised Translation of the Bible, also known as the King James Version. We have little fondness for King James himself, but simply recognize the providential hand of God in using King James to commission the translating of the Bible into our present version. As we have said before, our first and primary reason for using the Authorised Translation is the underlying Greek text, the Textus Receptus. This was the Greek text used by William Tyndale and the translators of the Geneva Bible. These were also good translations of the scriptures. I have both of those translations on my shelf and use them often in my studies. We also use and recommend the King James Version because it is clearer on the Deity of Christ, has borne good fruit, and provokes reverence for God and His word.

Another good reason for using the King James Bible is that it is easier to memorize. In Psalms 119:11 we read, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." The committing of the word to memory is a very good practice. And the King James Bible is very helpful in hiding the word in our hearts. Many of us were taught to memorize the scriptures when we were young and that has been a great blessing to us. How many times has the Lord used the word that was hid in our hearts to bring us to repentance and to look to our Dear Saviour!

Many of us memorized the twenty third Psalm when we were children and during times of sadness and difficulty this precious Psalm has come to our minds reminding us that our great God was our Shepherd Who would care for us. The twenty third Psalm just does not sound right in the modern versions, does it?

Some of you learned the way of salvation at an early age, and during times of doubt or temptation, John 3:16 came back to you. It was hidden in your heart, and the devil himself could not take it away from you.

There are many scriptures that used to be common knowledge in our part of the world, because people memorized the scriptures in church, in their families, and even in school. Expressions like "the strait and narrow" are still used in our culture as a manner of speaking.

I have read accounts of Christians being imprisoned for their faith without their Bibles, but since they had memorized much of it, the Lord brought it to their minds. I remember one account where several Christians pooled their memories in such circumstances, and were able to have much of the Bible, simply through their memories.

The memorization of the scriptures is a good practice, and will bless us in many ways. The King James Bible is the best version for the practice of memorization. This is another good reason for us to continue its use. Let us hide the word in our hearts, that we may not sin against the Lord.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

"... to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my Word" (Isaiah 66:2).

In previous articles we have been defending the Authorised Translation of the Bible as the best translation for the English-speaking people. Our first and foremost reason for this defense is the underlying text of the KJV, the Textus Receptus. Our second reason is that the KJV gives more glory to Christ, being clearer on His Deity than the newer translations. Our third reason is the good fruit that has been produced by the King James Bible and the other translations derived from the Textus Receptus.

Next, I want to suggest that the Authorised Translation tends to produce more reverence for God and His Word. One argument that some have made for modern translations is that they are easier to understand. Their proponents claim that the KJV is too hard for modern people to understand because of some of the difficult words and some of its archaic language.

First of all, I just ask you to open your KJV Bible and honestly look at the words. The KJV is for the most part composed of words of two or three syllables. Admittedly, there are some words that convey unique concepts to our minds and take some concentration and study. The word "propitiation" comes to mind (Romans 3:25). This delightful word came into the English language through the translation of the Bible by William Tyndale. We do not have a better word to convey the truth of the gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered as a penal Substitute for His people. By his death He turned away the wrath of a Holy God from those who believe in Him. This is a truth that causes us to tremble before God and rejoice in the finished work of Christ. Propitiation is a glorious word for the believer in Christ and one that he would not trade for anything. Sadly the word "propitiation" is missing from many modern translations, and we fear the reason is that some of the modern translators do not believe in propitiation and are probably not saved.

Concerning "archaic " language, I will just say that most of us do not have that much trouble with understanding "Thee" and "Thou". We learned pretty early that it is the second person pronoun. Many folks today do not want to address the Lord as "Thee" and "Thou." They want to be on equal terms with God. But dear ones, we are not equal with God. The old majestic language of the King James Bible provokes a spirit of reverence that is missing in the modern translations and is evidenced by the lack of reverence in today's professing church. We are to tremble before the word of God, not read it like it is the daily paper or a funny book.

Then there are "archaic" words like "holp" and "reckon". These words were in the vocabulary of our grandparents, and rather than throw them away, we ought to cultivate their use. The modern church is cursed with a desire to be "hip" and like the world. Modern day church members and preachers try to imitate the world rather than setting a standard. May the Lord deliver us from such modernity. The King James Bible is written in a pure form of English that is worth preserving for spiritual and practical reasons.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, Thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever" (Psalm 12:6-7).We have been writing for several months now on the doctrine of scripture and we have shown its inspiration and preservation. We firmly believe the Lord has preserved His inspired word in the Textus Receptus and the translations derived from it. We believe the King James Translation to be the best translation for the English-speaking people. We believe this first of all because of the underlying Hebrew and Greek Texts, called the Received Text, or Textus Receptus. Secondly, the King James Bible gives more glory to Christ. Thirdly, we defend the KJV because of the good fruit it has produced. Our Lord taught us that a tree is known by its fruit and the Received Text and the translations like the KJV derived from it have borne much good fruit.

The Received Text has borne the fruit of keeping the gospel pure during the days of the Dark Ages. When Anti-Christ was persecuting the true Church and trying to keep the common people enslaved to their false teachings, the Waldenses were reading and preaching from the Received Text and translating it into the language of the people. The light of the gospel was shining during the Dark Ages by the Received Texts.

The Reformation is the fruit of the Received Text. It was the text Martin Luther used to translate the Bible into German. It was the text William Tyndale used to bring the Bible to England. It was the text used by the Geneva translators. The Lord used the Protestant Reformation to bring the gospel of salvation to multitudes of His elect.

The King James Translation was the Bible from which the Puritans preached. We are still being blessed by the ministries and lives of these holy people known as the Puritans. Their influence is still being used of the Lord to advance His kingdom.

The King James translation was the Bible that lay on the pulpit of John Gill, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield Charles Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd Jones and other great and useful preachers.

The King James Bible was the Bible of the great revivals in Britain and America. We have not had a real revival in America since the Revival among the Southern Armies during the War for Southern Independence. Perhaps a return to this great translation will ignite the fires of revival and multitudes may be brought to salvation.

When the King James Bible was the Bible of America's churches, there was more unity among Christians. Nowadays, every church is using a different translation. Such an uncertain sound is producing disorder and disunity. When we compare the worldly professing Church of today with the Church of the Waldenses, the Reformers, the Puritans, and the Old Baptists, we can only weep as the gold has become dim and the salt unsavoury. I challenge you to compare the fruit of the Authorised Version with the modern translations. May the Lord honour His Word. We have His promise that he will.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you " (I Peter 1:24-25).

We have been for the past several months writing on the doctrine of scripture, and our last three articles have dealt with the preservation of scripture. "The word of the Lord endureth FOREVER"! The Lord has preserved His word to all generations, including our own. We believe the Lord has preserved His word in the Received Text, the underlying text of the King James translation, the Geneva Translation, and the Tyndale translation among others. This is the first and most important reason why we defend and use the Authorised Translation. Most modern translations are derived from the Greek text compiled by Westcott and Hort in the late nineteenth century and is based on the corrupt Vatican and Sinai texts. If you would like to study this subject further, I highly recommend a very scholarly book by Dr. E. F. Hills entitled "The King James Version Defended." It is available online and can be easily found by a Google search.

The second reason why we use the Authorised Version (aka the KJV) is that is very clear on the Person of Christ. The Westcott and Hort texts, and the translations derived from them are much less clear concerning the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. You may compare the following texts: Psalm 45:6; Micah 5:2; Matthew 1:25; Matthew 19:16-17; Mark 1:1; Mark 15:28; Luke 24:52; Acts 20:28; I Timothy 3:16 and I John 5:7 among many others. Since all scriptures lead us to Christ for salvation (John 5:39; Luke 24:44), it is apparent to my mind that the Hebrew and Greek Texts and the English Translation that most exalts Christ would be the most reliable text. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14), so it is reasonable that the text that gives the most glory to Christ would be the one inspired by the Holy Spirit and preserved by God's Providence. The King James Translation glorifies Christ more than the modern translations, is clearer on His Deity and shows us the way of salvation through Christ Alone.

You need to know that the corrupt texts that underlie most modern translations were the ones used by ancient heretics like Origen and Arius and is used by modern day Arians like the so- called "Jehovah's Witnesses." For example the New International Version and the translation of the Watchtower Society both omit I John 5:7, one of the clearest Trinitarian texts in the Bible.

In our day when the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ is constantly being attacked, it is imperative that we use a Bible that is very clear on our Lord's glorious Person. The King James Bible clearly says that Christ is the Second person of the Holy Trinity, that He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, that he was born of a virgin, that He died as a substitute for all who would believe in Him, that he arose from the dead, ascended to the Father and that He shall return the second time to raise the dead and judge the world. I urge you to hold tenaciously to the Authorised Translation. I will have more on the subject next week (DV).